Supervisors at Abington Memorial Hospital in Philadelphia have explained that they sought only to avoid a confrontation when they told African American employees to stay out of a patient's room after a man ordered that no blacks assist in the delivery of his child.
Philadelphia Inquirer, Oct. 3, 2003
NAACP wants hospital supervisors punished
Local leaders call for Abington hospital to discipline those who told minority staffers to stay out of a patient's room.
Local NAACP leaders yesterday called on Abington Memorial Hospital to discipline supervisors who told minority employees to stay out of a patient's room after a man demanded that only white staffers assist in the delivery of his baby.
( By Oliver Prichard, Inquirer Staff Writer, 10/04/2003 03:01 AM EDT)
I Have Also Seen No Male Techs Written On Kardexes But This Does Not Make It Right And It Puts An Undue Burden On Female Techs And Nurses....who Are Suppose To Go Into A Male Pt With A Professional Manner And Do The Care Required...to Be Fair To The Admitting Md In The Orginal Case How Was He Suppose To Know That The Pts Husband Was A Racist...i Agree That On A Nurse To Nurse Basis You Can Trade One For The Other But The Supervisiors Should Not Have Given In...
In the case where a patient's family member feels they have gotten substandard care (whether they are right or wrong) most hospitals will let the nurse know that she is walking into a potentially bad situation, and will not assign her to that patient.
I would approach the situation from that angle. The reason the patient doesn't want a particular nurse may be completely out in left field. The nurse and the hospital, however, must react in a way that prevents further conflict, for their own safety.
This arguement takes patient rights completely out of the picture.
In the case where a patient's family member feels they have gotten substandard care (whether they are right or wrong) most hospitals will let the nurse know that she is walking into a potentially bad situation, and will not assign her to that patient.
I would approach the situation from that angle. The reason the patient doesn't want a particular nurse may be completely out in left field. The nurse and the hospital, however, must react in a way that prevents further conflict, for their own safety.
This arguement takes patient rights completely out of the picture.
Don't know if it's the same situation involved, but on another post a racist woman didn't want a black nurse to care for her newborn. The nurse received a cash settlement because the hospital honored the request. Sounds similar. I believe that the couple's wishes, no matter how ignorant, should be honored. I have to honor religious, gender, and yes racial preferences for nursing care. It doesn't feel good when it happens, but people have so much diversity that I'm not deeply wounded when it happens. Such a shame to have to deal with it though.
When a patient or family member make an inappropriate remark or demand based on illegal discrimation I calmly and privately explain that we do not accept that. I explain the nurse in question is fully competent to do the job. Often they are extreemly good nurses and I tell them when this is the case. (same with CNA or any other worker)
I remind them that there are laws governing this and we uphold those laws at this facility.
Usually after this they apologize, and behave themselves.
They are always free to go someplace else to recieve care. They are not free to make rasist or any other bigoted attacks on staff. It is rare after talking to them that they do this.
I address bigotry as bigotry not prejudice. I will not minimize it this way.
It is sad how some people can be racist, sexist, and just plain discriminatory. But then again, you don't necessarily know why someone is making a certain request about a caregiver. If I had been raped, I might only want another woman to provide my care. If I were a man and another man raped me, I might only want a woman to take care of me. You don't know what experiences someone has. I think the hospital made the right call in this case. They avoided what could have been a physical confrontation between the belligerant man and the hospital staff.
Supervisors at Abington Memorial Hospital in Philadelphia have explained that they sought only to avoid a confrontation when they told African American employees to stay out of a patient's room after a man ordered that no blacks assist in the delivery of his child.
Philadelphia Inquirer, Oct. 3, 2003
NAACP wants hospital supervisors punished
Local leaders call for Abington hospital to discipline those who told minority staffers to stay out of a patient's room.
Local NAACP leaders yesterday called on Abington Memorial Hospital to discipline supervisors who told minority employees to stay out of a patient's room after a man demanded that only white staffers assist in the delivery of his baby.
( By Oliver Prichard, Inquirer Staff Writer, 10/04/2003 03:01 AM EDT)
A similar situation happened in Pittsburgh a few years back. A black woman employed by UPMC Homecare was kept away from assignments where the patient's family only wanted white nurese. The nurse sued UPMC and won. The decision said something to the effect of " . . . that as an institution, it is not legal for an institution to condone or aid in racism . . .". They owed the nurse back pay and damages and I think rightfully so.
It is sad how some people can be racist, sexist, and just plain discriminatory. But then again, you don't necessarily know why someone is making a certain request about a caregiver. If I had been raped, I might only want another woman to provide my care. If I were a man and another man raped me, I might only want a woman to take care of me. You don't know what experiences someone has. I think the hospital made the right call in this case. They avoided what could have been a physical confrontation between the belligerant man and the hospital staff.
...Jennifer...
I would trust such a request would come from you is a rational mannor. You would say you were not comfortable with a man.
It is likely you would even explain to some degree if needed or give some indication that this was an issue related to a past trauma and you could not feel safe with a man.
If you made sexist remarks and demands then you would not be accomodated by me. I would explanin that behavior would not be tollerated.
I have had rape victims or others with reasonable and legitimate reasons to need a female care giver receive a female.
There is a very big difference between bigoted behavior and attitude and the need for a vulnerable patient to feel safe.
Simply hurting or being sick is not an excuse to mistreat your care giver. It is not a excuse to act like a bigot.
Most people understand this. Those who don't need to be educated, tactfully and firmly.
Specializes in Gerontological Nursing, Acute Rehab.
I am going to be completely honest here, but I think what the nursing supervisors did was the correct thing to do in the situation that occured at Abington. Yes, racism in any form is reprehensible, and it's a shame that it still seems so prevelent in society, but as a nurse I feel it's my responsibility to make sure the patient gets good MEDICAL care. I am not there to give them a social skills lesson, or to teach them good manners, or to inform them why their views on things are wrong. If the patient doesn't want a specific nurse, for any reason, then I certainly wouldn't tell them to either take that nurse or leave the hospital. I know that if a patient didn't want me to be their nurse because I was white, Italian, had blonde hair, was too short or too young, whatever the reason, then I wouldn't go near them. Would it piss me off? Sure, but you know what.....I value my safety far more than trying to make a point.
Maybe a situation I found myself in a few years back will help you guys see why I feel this way. I had a family member go absolutely ballistic on me and my fellow staff members. He was irate because the CNA forgot to put his mother's phone within reach after she was done care on her. He backed me into a corner of a room, screaming obscenities, calling me a b#itch, telling me he was going to rip my throat out and we were all going to pay, and made a racist comment about our black CNA's. His wife later came to me upset, and told me that he had been attacked once by a group of black men, and since then has had "issues." Yes, I'm white, and obviously his rage was directed at all within earshot, but the point is that you never know what type of situation can occur if you "force" a patient to have a certain nurse if they don't want them. Would you feel safe? I wouldn't. Would you want to put the patient and the other patients on your floor in danger just because someone is a bigot? I wouldn't. Would you refuse to care for a laboring mother or child just because their husband/parent is a racist, and tell them to leave the hospital? I wouldn't, and I certainly hope none of you would, either.
It's easy to be Monday morning quarterbacks, and hindsight is 20/20. But, we weren't there, and maybe they were trying to diffuse a potentially explosive situation while trying to care for the patient and her unborn baby at the same time. I certainly don't think we should put up with any kind of abuse at all, but there is a time and place for making a point, and the labor room isn't one of them.
In my neck of the woods we deal with a lot of religious discrimination. Our OB dept will staff RN who are of a religion because the narrow minded community will refuse to allow anyone other than their religion deliver them. Outsiders as we are called are not to be tolerated.:angryfire It makes me sick--luck OB is not my thing. But they are glad for my expertise when they need ICU or ER care! Makes the authoritarian males really mad to have a female nurse 'in charge' of them. :rotfl:
It seems to me that patients/residents will do what they know they will get away with. If we as an institution stand up and refuse to allow the discriminatory requests perhaps it will diminish. I used to hate it in the LTC facility where residents would ask a particular CNA to help them get ready for bed even though they were not assigned to care for them because they simply did not want someone else caring for them, sometimes because of their sex or ethnicity. This drove me crazy. If I heard the request I would simply tell the resident that Suzy Smith was their caregiver for the evening and they could simply wait until the other CNA was completly finished with their other assignment or they could take the care that was being offered to them right now. Then it became their choice to refuse the care that was being offered to them and we were not depriving someone else care to accomodate their selfish requests.
Would it piss me off? Sure, but you know what.....I value my safety far more than trying to make a point.
Maybe a situation I found myself in a few years back will help you guys see why I feel this way. I had a family member go absolutely ballistic on me and my fellow staff members. He was irate because the CNA forgot to put his mother's phone within reach after she was done care on her. He backed me into a corner of a room, screaming obscenities, calling me a b#itch, telling me he was going to rip my throat out and we were all going to pay, and made a racist comment about our black CNA's. His wife later came to me upset, and told me that he had been attacked once by a group of black men, and since then has had "issues."
I have a problem with this.
The family member should been arrested for this behavior. It doesn't matter that he has "issues". WE ALL HAVE ISSUES, but it gives no one the right to behave in an abusive manner. And the situation obviously did not merit his outburst.
The only way to stop people from behaving this way is to enforce penalties against this behavior. When they find that they cannot behave that way, only then do they stop. By allowing them to continue bad behavior, we encourage it to continue against others. Like spoiled bratty children, someone has to take a stand for them to learn proper behavior.
I am willing to bet that this person will have more/worse outbursts in the future...all of which interfere with the proper functioning of a unit, unless someone ceases to put up with their bad behavior.
No we do not need to teach manners, but it is not about manners. It is about maintaining a good healing environment for ALL the patients and staff, not giving in to one out of control individual.
CHATSDALE
4,177 Posts
I Have Also Seen No Male Techs Written On Kardexes But This Does Not Make It Right And It Puts An Undue Burden On Female Techs And Nurses....who Are Suppose To Go Into A Male Pt With A Professional Manner And Do The Care Required...to Be Fair To The Admitting Md In The Orginal Case How Was He Suppose To Know That The Pts Husband Was A Racist...i Agree That On A Nurse To Nurse Basis You Can Trade One For The Other But The Supervisiors Should Not Have Given In...